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Mature Christian leadership is marked by a paradoxical combination of tender humility and bold faith. The humility-plus-faith connection helps us grow as disciples while we follow God's call to serve as leaders. It balances our roots with our branches, our depth with our reach. Unfortunately, we don't naturally embody humility and faith. Our character bends naturally toward arrogance and fear. We need constant formation as we seek to grow in both identity and calling.
Character formation is the process by which we see ourselves more clearly, grow in the fruit of the Spirit, and increasingly embody the identity and calling that God gives us. We become more like Jesus and more like our true selves. The process lasts for our whole lives.
The Messiah's first 40 days
Jesus begins his leadership with restraint, through fasting. Not with bluster or showing off, but alone, unseen, and disciplined. I see few leadership communications (Christian or non-Christian) that promote fasting as a leadership activity. Yet it is the first thing Jesus does as Messiah. He chooses to discipline his appetites in pursuit of worship. He prioritizes integrity over assertion. He shows assertiveness later in his leadership journey, but Jesus' first moves show us that his truth flows from integrity tested in the furnace of disciplined abstinence.
For us, there is no better time than the present to address our most challenging temptations. We gain nothing by avoiding or denying them. We are shaped as much by what we choose not to do as we are by what we choose to do. We can choose disciplines that curb or tame our most problematic appetites, whether those are media consumption, attention seeking, or any other self-centering indulgence. The spiritual and moral battle for holiness is the most critical battle in our life and our leadership.
Character formation and discipleship growth
Just as he led Jesus, the Spirit leads us into the wilderness to shape our character. Just as we need to consistently return to our baptism to find ourselves beloved, chosen, and cleansed, we also need to return to the wilderness of testing again and again over the course of our lives.
When we find ourselves in challenging circumstances, we always have an opportunity to grow. God loves to appear in the wilderness of our experience. Challenges reveal our appetites and temptations. They offer us the opportunity to trust God more deeply and worship him more fully.
We must follow Jesus' example, imitating his move to follow the Spirit into the wilderness in fasting and prayer. We feed on the Word and allow the Spirit to shape our hearts. Disciplines of abstinence (like fasting, solitude, and silence) shape us. They reveal and curb our appetites. They allow us to create space for prayer and Scripture. They help us let go of the ways we manipulate ourselves and our world. They help us listen and look to God, but they also bring our temptations to light.
As a person who makes a living by talking to other people, I have come to realize that extended silences help me let go of my addiction to spoken words and listen for the quiet voice of the Spirit. When I fast from food, my irritability rises to the surface and allows me to examine and repent of critical attitudes. I love tea and take joy in brewing and drinking it every day—but I take an extended fast from caffeine once a year and often discover God speaking to me about how I treat my body and manage my energy. The Spirit uses all of these to open me up to the Word and give me opportunities to grow.
God shapes us in cooperation with our own initiative. Though God is the potter and we are the clay, we are not passive participants in our formation. The Spirit is often leading us into the wilderness, but we choose whether to pay attention and follow. When we are suffering, we choose whether to seek the Lord's discipline and guidance in the midst of it. When we have the opportunity, we choose whether to practice disciplines that will contribute to our formation. When we expect God to form us through suffering and discipline, we can then soak in the Word for healing and help.
Let me suggest one simple process. Ask the Lord how he might want to shape your character, and also ask someone else who knows you well how God might want to grow your character. If helpful, consider the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. When you have a sense of what God may want to do, then ask God how you might cooperate in that process. Consider asking a friend something like, "I think God wants me to grow in patience (or another fruit). How do you think I might actively cooperate with the Spirit in that process?"
 | Jason Jensen (MA, Fuller) is vice president of spiritual foundations for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. Jason led InterVarsity staff teams in Berkeley, California, for twenty-nine years. He and his wife, Susi, are based in Madison, Wisconsin, where Jason oversees the formation of InterVarsity staff in Scripture, theology, spiritual formation, and prayer. Jason is the author of Formed to Lead: Humility, Character, Integrity, and Discernment. Learn More » |
This isn’t just another leadership book—it’s your invitation to discover how Christ-centered questions can transform the way you lead and live. Packed with real stories and timeless wisdom, it shows you how to grow your influence, deepen your faith, and lead with the same life-changing impact Jesus did.
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